Just Like That
by onthewildeside
Summary: Just like that, their lives turned around. The development of Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde during the events before, during, and after the movie. Centers around these characters' stories and highlights their chemistry as partners and friends. Eventual Wildehopps.


**This story is a collaboration between Onthewildeside and Wildetrashbag (on Instagram). It takes place in between the events shown in the movie, and sometimes during the events of the movie. We tried to avoid all clichés as best as possible.**

 **Surprisingly, the two of us do not own Zootopia or its characters. They belong to Disney.**

" _Badge_!"

That single word echoed through the rabbit's mind as she contemplated the events of the past two days. Not only had she acquired a substantial lead to continue her investigation of the missing mammal cases with, she finally had the chance to become the one thing she had dreamed of being since she was a child: a police officer. Rabbits never typically did anything other than farm, let alone police a city as large as Zootopia. In fact, Judy could only recall spotting one rabbit in the three days since she had moved there. After spending her whole life surrounded by literally hundreds of other rabbits, it was refreshing but also frightening to notice such a shortage of her species.

Judy Hopps found herself eye to eye with the chief of police at Precinct One, who stared her down with the most intense glare she'd ever faced. She was suddenly hit with a prominent pang of sadness. Not only would this buffalo rescind her chance at working as a police officer, he would shatter the hopes and dreams that she had carried with her since she was young. Her amethyst eyes widened in disbelief and became coated with tears that she refused to release.

Chief Bogo extended his arm out to the rabbit and opened his hoof. Any hope that Judy still encompassed immediately receded, as if this action finally proved that the chief wasn't joking. _Why would he be joking in the first place? Stop getting your hopes up. It's over._

Her 'acquaintance,' a red fox, couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was a strange sensation, but Nick felt as though he saw a reflection of himself in the rabbit's reaction. He had been faced with the repercussions of simply being a fox for as long as he could remember, and now the same mindset was being forced onto her. Suddenly, he was stricken with guilt; practically dripping with it. Over the past few days, this was exactly the way that _he_ acted around her. Always putting her down for chasing some less than achievable fantasy so vigorously. At the time, he was satisfied with the way that he was able to so effortlessly destroy the bunny's motivation to pursue her passion, but now, he felt awful for it. Why had he continued to inflict his own societal rules on her when her only goals were to break them? Nick had no idea about his friend losing her job if she didn't find the otter within two days. Would he even consider them friends? He didn't know, but in this moment, the only thing that mattered to him was his urge to prove that he was worthy of trust and friendship not just from Judy, but from everyone else as well. But even in his period of self reflection, the most important thing of all was standing up for her and saving her career. Just as he finished thinking, the fox noticed that Judy was about to take her badge off!

"Uh, no."

Everyone turned their attention to Nick as the words escaped his lips, including Judy and the intimidating chief.

"What did you say, _fox_?" Chief Bogo hissed at him.

Although Nick was quite terrified of the buffalo's gaze, he was determined to help Judy. He then spoke louder. "Sorry, what I said was _no._ " He shook his head. "She will not be giving you that badge," he stated bluntly.

Before the buffalo could process his own thoughts, Nick spoke again. The fox suddenly felt powerful; almost as if he were controlling the hostile conversation.

"Look, you gave her a," Nick stuttered a little, trying to find a way to insert his dry sense of humor into the serious confrontation, "a clown vest, and a three-wheeled joke mobile, and two days to solve a case that you guys haven't cracked in two weeks?" He remembered how Judy explained to him how long the case had been driving the chief up the wall. Nick trotted over to Judy's side, almost as if he were protecting her. Feeling the anger build up inside of him, Nick's words became not only about Judy, but about himself as well. "Yeah. No wonder she had to get help from a fox." The word 'fox' stung in his mouth and made him feel uncomfortable. He had placed himself on a pedestal while simultaneously degrading his own worth due to his species. His sentence was phrased in a way that emphasized the other mammals' discontent for foxes, but at the same time, it pushed the police mammals below Nick. He presented the idea that they were worth less than the shifty fox, because that same shifty fox would assist Judy with the case before Bogo or any of the officers would. "None of _you guys_ were going to help her. Were you?" That felt good.

Flustered, Bogo raised a finger to interject, but was promptly stopped before the first word left his mouth.

"Here's the thing chief," Nick began to explain, feeling more powerful than ever, "You gave her the forty-eight hours, so technically we still have…"-he briefly calculated their timeslot on his paws-"ten left to find our Mr. Otterton. And that's exactly what we're gonna do, so, if you'll excuse us, we have a _very_ big lead to follow and a case to crack. Good day," the fox saluted as he marched across the dock toward the sky trams, hands held professionally behind his back, a contented smile plastered across his face.

Judy followed closely behind him, but not before almost speaking to the chief. She soon decided that it was best not to speak at all. Nick had said everything. She was overjoyed and relieved that she wasn't losing her job just yet, but moreso she was proud of her companion for defending her. The rabbit did not expect that kind of reaction from Nick. He was a con-mammal, nothing more. Never before had she seen this compassionate side of him, the one that spoke with not a single tinge of sarcasm. Somehow, she liked this Nick more than the one that she had come to know.

"Officer Hopps," the fox offered politely as he held the sky tram's door open for her. This kind of politeness was rare coming from Nick. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he genuinely held a door open for someone. All of these years of minding his own business had led him to forget those small yet kind gestures. There was no reason not to sprinkle his day with a few kind acts, right? _That's awfully soft of you, Wilde. Get it together._ But no matter how hard he tried, leaning against the rail of the floating gondola, he just couldn't get it together. For the longest time, the two mammals simply sat there in silence, overlooking the beautiful Rainforest District while feeling the cool wind brushing through their fur.

After several minutes of silence, Judy quietly uttered "Thank you."

He replied, but it was the dumbest thing he could have possibly said to her. Softly, he managed to say "Never let them see that they get to you." Great. Now he had no choice but to open up to her about himself.

She smiled lightly at Nick's incentive to continue the conversation. "So… things _do_ get to you?" she asked with genuine curiosity. Not only was she curious, but she was also excited to learn a bit more about this secretive fox.

"Uh, well, I mean not anymore, but I was.." He exhaled deeply. "..small, and emotionally unbalanced like you once."

"Har har."

 _Even though I didn't mean it as a joke, nice sarcasm, Carrots._ "No it's true," he affirmed.

Judy was still slightly surprised that she was talking to Nick in such a raw way. There was no need for any small quips or jokes anymore, and his voice just felt so natural. He was letting his guard down to speak to her and she appreciated this. Nick managed to surprise her again and again with his antics, but she never expected him to talk to her so genuinely.

"I think I was eight, or maybe nine, and all I wanted to do was join the Junior Ranger Scouts," Nick continued as Judy looked up at him with wonder. Those three words sent chills down his spine. He was about to tell her one of the things about his past that had been haunting him for so long. He hadn't told this to anyone before. Ever.

"So, my mom scraped together enough money to buy me a brand new uniform because, by God, I was going to fit in."

Suddenly, vivid images of his younger self shot through his head. Staring at himself in the mirror with a sense of pride that he would never be able to achieve in the present day. His charming green uniform and red tie. On his hat, a patch etched with the words, 'Zootopia Junior Rangers.' Holding him from behind, his mother. Nick couldn't pinpoint her outfit, so he assigned her a purple shirt. After all these years, he still remembered that purple was his mother's favorite color.

"Even if I was the only predator in the troop."

Nick eagerly sprinted toward the staircase. From there, he would finally meet his new best friends. The meeting wasn't too far from his apartment, so his mom let him make the journey alone. Of course, she trusted her son. He was the brave, loyal, helpful, and trustworthy son that she had always dreamed of raising.

The kit used much of his strength to heave the large front doors open. He was met with a nice lobby, complete with a wooden and leather finish. Many calming paintings and photos were strung across the walls, completing the homely atmosphere that was captured within Nick's new favorite room. Most of the photos consisted of the troop on various outings; lakes, landscapes, and even something as simple as getting ice cream together. They all looked so happy, and soon, he was going to be one of them.

"The only fox."

'Okay Nick!' A voice could be heard from the basement as Nick rushed down the staircase. When he reached the bottom, he viewed a group of five mammals: a zebra, a hippo, a beaver, a goat, and a horse. All prey. But that didn't matter to Nick. They were his new friends, regardless of species. 'Ready for initiation?'

'Yeah' _,_ the young Nick stated as if it was obvious, 'pretty much born ready.' Soon after, he exchanged a friendly two-pawed high-five with the zebra.

"I was so proud."

The fox was enveloped in darkness as the troop had killed the lights.

 **Five minutes later…**

"If the world is only gonna see a fox as shifty and untrustworthy, there's no point in trying to be anything else." No matter how hard he tried to wish that thought away, it was true. After all of these years, Nick had become nothing but a shifty con mammal swindling others out of their money. He had become the stereotypical image of a fox. All this time, he had been rejecting the idea of his species' stereotype and yet, he was an individual who directly portrayed it.

"Nick," Judy said empathetically. "You are so much more than that." She then placed her paw over his arm, staring at him with her beady amethyst eyes. Nick wasn't aware of the action in his brief memory reminiscence.

Nick snapped back to reality and noticed the bunny had her paw over his. This had become too real for him. _Not today, Carrots_. He took a deep breath before breaking free from her soft grasp and rushing to change the topic."Boy, look at that traffic down there!" He turned away from her, looking down at the vehicles below them. "How about we go out to Chuck in Traffic Central- Chuck, how are things looking on the Jam Cams?" He continued, now with a radio voice, channeling his trademark sense of humor.

Judy wasn't going to let him change the topic all so suddenly. "Nick, I'm glad you told me." She cut in. The fox's expression changed rather unexpectedly, but she couldn't tell if he was willing to talk about his past or not.

"...The Jam Cams," he repeated.

Judy wasn't buying it. "Seriously, it's okay-"

"No, no, no, shh, shh!" Nick shushed her excitedly. "Th-the, there are traffic cameras everywhere! All over the canopy!" He put his arm around her to direct her vision outside of the sky tram. He pointed toward street cameras scattered above the streets. The fox was piecing together his idea as he spoke. "Whatever happened to that jaguar-"

"The traffic cameras would've caught it!" Judy finished his sentence for him.

"Bingo!" Nick was glad that Judy had caught onto his idea. _Clever bunny_.

"Ha ha, pretty sneaky, Slick!" she laughed, punching him playfully on the shoulder.

"However, if you didn't have access to the system before, then I doubt Chief Buffalo Butt's going to let you into it now," Nick stated bluntly and doubtfully.

"No," the bunny said in agreement, disappointed that they were going to need another way into the traffic cameras. Just then, she recalled what a friend had told her only the day before. "But I have a friend at City Hall who might!"

The sun rose over the gleaming city of Zootopia, illuminating the sky with lovely shades of pink and orange.

"Who?" Nick asked, a bit surprised that Judy had such a close bond with higher-ups.

"Assistant Mayor Dawn Bellwether," the rabbit stated proudly.

"The sheep?"

"Yes, the sheep."

"Whatever you say, Carrots," Nick shrugged. "As long as she can help us solve this thing without dying," he remarked, flashing a quick smirk in her direction.

"Speaking of dying, we are _really_ high up," Judy gulped, staring down at the bustling streets below.

"Yeah," the fox joked, "Just a snap of one of those cords and we're dead instantly," he smiled.

Judy yelped a little.

"Just straight down, no warning or anything," Nick continued. "Splat, just like that, dead." He inched closer to her, smiling wide with confidence before receiving an angry punch to his arm. "Okay, that one actually hurt," he whimpered, rubbing the bruised spot.

"You're lucky I didn't hit you in the face, Wilde," Judy quipped.

"Touché."

Several moments passed as the two of them sat in silence, staring at the glorious cityscape that lay below. Judy admired the view, letting the golden rays of the sun hit her fur as she glided above the streets. For as long as she could remember, she had dreamed of living in Zootopia, and now she did. There she was, letting everything sink in. She went through the painful trials of training and finally earned her job as a police officer. Earlier today, she nearly died a few times, and probably worse, she almost lost the job of her dreams. But all of that happened because of a certain fox who was standing by her side at that very moment. All this was overwhelming for the rabbit. She noticed that she was no longer staring at the city but instead at Nick. The same mammal who she thought was a sly con-mammal just 36 hours ago didn't seem so distant anymore.

Then it hit her. She hadn't slept in two days! The rabbit let out a hearty yawn and sunk into the sofa chair behind her. Luckily, the gondola came equipped with things like these.

Nick turned to see her practically laying down in the seat before yawning himself. "Yawns…" he chuckled groggily, "they're contagious." The fox wiped his eyes with his paws and realized that he was tired as well.

"I haven't slept in forever, Nick," she whispered, shutting her eyes lightly.

"You're telling me," the fox waned in agreement. "This makes two sleepless nights for me," he stated, losing the sarcasm in his voice. He took one step over to the other side of the sky tram in order to sit down as well. At this point, the rabbit was laying down on her side, enjoying the warmth of the leather. "Make room, will ya?"

Judy's ears perked up at his comment as she realized that she was taking up most of the sitting space. "Oh, right, sorry," she complied tiredly, propping herself up against the seat and shifting over to the side. Nick promptly took his seat and crossed one leg over his knee, smiling to himself.

Nick made an attempt to start a conversation. "Comfortable leather, huh, Carrots?" He turned to the side to see Judy fast asleep. That didn't take long. The fox's eyes began to close as well. _No!_ _Stay awake, Slick. You've got to make sure that you two don't sleep through the sky tram station_. However, he just couldn't resist the sweet sensation of shutting his eyes. _I'll just rest them for a little bit_. Before long, he began to drift away.

"Hey! Lovebirds! Get up!"

The first of the dynamic duo to awaken was Nick, noticing his arm was wrapped around the sleeping bunny who was leaning to his side. He let out a yelp of surprise as he quickly released himself from Judy. She was slow to wake, which gave Nick ample time to bury the evidence of their contact. Upon standing, Nick realized that the gondola had stopped and that he and Judy had arrived at the City Center Sky Tram Station. An infuriated ram was standing outside of their sky tram, staring them down with impatience for them to exit the gondola. The flustered Nick hurriedly grabbed the sleepy Judy by her paw and pulled her out of the cart as fast as he could before laughing nervously at his mishap. The ram simply smirked and chuckled as the two sleep-deprived mammals stumbled clumsily through the station.

Judy rubbed her eyes and yawned, coming back into full consciousness. The sleepy rabbit turned to her side and saw her new acquaintance, Nick. While she felt refreshed from her nap, the fox didn't look like he could say the same. He had noticeable bags under his eyes and his fur was sticking up in different directions. His shirt was filthy and matted down to his torso, and his tail nearly dragged across the ground as he trotted slowly. "Morning, Nick. How was your sleep?" she asked rhetorically.

"Ten minutes long," he replied apathetically, twitching his ear and rubbing his muzzle with his forepaw.

She chuckled a little. "Well Sleepyhead, we still have to get to City Hall soon or I'm getting fired from-"

Nick cut her off. "Listen Carrots, right now, all I need is a (gallon of) coffee. Spare me." His voice was low and nasally. The fox turned around and continued taking heavy strides down the street. Judy followed; after all, she needed Nick to help her solve the case.

"Didn't know you enjoyed my company so much, Fluff," he said sarcastically, "I've never had a stalker before but I guess I just have a natural way of attracting mammals." He smirked.

Judy laughed. "As if! You look awful right now."

This comment prompted Nick to turn and stare at his reflection in the glass of a building to their side. To his surprise, the bunny was right. He really _did_ look terrible. "Eek, all the more reason for you to buy me that coffee," he chuckled.

"Not happening, Slick. I already bought you that Jumbo Pop, now you're gonna buy your own coffee. You owe me twenty bucks for that one."

"Oh please," Nick asserted. "If you like Jumbo Pops so much, my Pawpsicles were only two dollars. And since you're such a big fan, I could've given you a discount."

Judy rolled her eyes as they pushed open the door to Snarlbucks.

Upon entry, Nick audibly inhaled the smell of his favorite morning drink: coffee. It always got him ready for the day and he couldn't remember the last time that he had gone 24 hours without a cup. Inside the store, there was a fairly large line of mammals waiting to order their own cup; after all, it was the morning. This was an interesting sight for Judy. She had only lived in the city for about four days at this point and had yet to enter a big city café. The little details were more apparent to her than Nick, who she assumed had lived in the city his whole life. The rustic wooden walls were dark and lined with multiple photos of different landscapes. Neon lights were strung along the area where the wall met the ceiling, and a soft white light was emanating from them. There were several potted plants stationed in the corners, adding to the soft decor of the room. Busy mammals in business suits holding their coffees walked past the fox and bunny as they exited the café. Nick was ecstatic that he would finally get his paws on a nice warm cup of coffee to make up for the sleep that he had lost.

"We can't wait in this line!" Judy shouted impatiently, turning to the fox.

Nick groaned in immense irritation. "Okay, you have two options, Rabbit. We wait in line, I get my coffee, and it takes us slightly longer to reach City Hall, _or_ " Nick raised a paw, "we leave now and I pass out on the sidewalk."

Judy didn't like what she was hearing.

Nick continued. "And _then_ you'll have to _drag me_ across the pavement, and it will take longer to reach City Hall than it would have taken if we would have just waited for the coffee." He cocked an eyebrow at the frustrated rabbit, officially claiming victory.

"Fine," Judy groaned.

The two stood in line and the fox fiddled with his phone during the wait. After a few minutes of waiting, Judy laughed out loud to the fox's surprise. The rabbit was laughing so hard that she was nearly crying, and it incited some stares from mammals around the café. "What?" Nick asked, tilting his head.

"I just got the mental image of me dragging you across the sidewalk while you're unconscious," Judy clarified, sighing and wiping small laughter tears from her eyes.

"Ha ha, very funny," Nick croaked sarcastically, straining his voice; he clearly needed a drink.

As the line progressed, Nick and Judy realized that it was taking much longer than they thought it would. The sleep deprivation and lack of caffeine was starting to take a significant toll on the fox, as he would continuously doze off and almost fall asleep standing. Judy had to keep waking him up when his eyes would shut.

"How are you so awake?" he suddenly asked Judy. "Rabbits," he sighed, "you were tired twenty minutes ago, and now you're all…" Nick stopped, unable to think of the correct words to finish his sentence with.

Judy laughed at his shortcoming. "Bunnies have a lot of energy."

"Got it, thanks." Nick waved a paw at the rabbit to get her to quiet down, so that he could drift off to sleep, and finally get the rest he deserved…

 **Ten minutes later...**

"Look Nick, your taxes!" Judy cried out suddenly.

The fox quickly jumped out of his slumber. "Where?!" he yelled in fear.

Judy laughed. "We're at the front of the line, Slick."

It didn't take long for Nick to pick his favorite order, an espresso with a blueberry muffin. He searched for his wallet in his back pocket, eager to finally have his drink. Before long, Judy ordered a rabbit-sized loaf of carrot cake. Nick was slightly angry that Judy actually ordered something, as he was the one paying. _Great, now I have to waste money. Oh well._

Five minutes of Nick sleeping on and off finally rewarded the two with their food. As soon as his name was called, the sleepy fox rushed over to the counter to eagerly pick up their order. Judy stared in shock as Nick nearly gulped down the entire cup with one swig.

"Someone loves coffee," Judy chuckled, nibbling on her carrot cake.

"You don't?" the fox piped up, an unnerving craze evident in his eyes.

"Bunnies can't drink coffee, Crazy."

"Hah! You're missing out, Fluff!" Nick practically yelled as his left eye twitched a little.

"Mhm."

"No point in waiting, right?" He snagged the paper bag that held his blueberry muffin and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her out of the café. The fox seemed to be in a rush for some reason. "You're paying for our ride this time, Officer," he babbled almost incoherently.

"Why so?"

" _Well,_ I paid for your carrot thing so it's only fair!" Nick flashed a large toothy grin at her.

"You're going to crash in two minutes, Nick."

Nick took a large bite out of his muffin while rushing down the sidewalk. "Which is exactly why we're going to City Hall faster than you can say 'dumb bunny'," he exclaimed with a mouth full of blueberry.

"Now you're just being mean."

"I try," he quipped, calling out for a taxi that drove down the bustling city street.

Once they had opened the car's doors and entered, the driver, a moose, took notice of the unusual duo, along with Nick's scraggly visual. "Good morning, Officer," he tipped his hat politely to Judy. "Lost your police car and handcuffs? I'll take you to the station."

Nick raised an eyebrow, offended.

"Actually," Judy disagreed, "we're headed to City Hall."

"A special delinquent, I see?" the moose laughed.

Nick had had enough. He wasn't going to stand for this. "Apologies for the bluntness, sir, but what is your problem?" The fox pointed a finger at the taxi driver.

Judy looked at the fox seated beside her, surprised at his sudden outburst. "Nick…"

The moose let out a nervous cough before backpedaling. "I was just pulling your leg!" he smiled. "Seriously, though, you two should wash up."

Nick wasn't laughing. "Yeah, we know," he said sternly.

The moose turned back to Nick and gave him a dissatisfied glare, unamused by the attitude he was being given. Nick, however, wasn't afraid and locked his eyes to the driver's.

Judy interrupted the two's staring session. "Okay, let's get going! We need to get there as soon as possible!" she smiled nervously.

The moose said nothing, turned back to the wheel and started driving.

Judy leaned close to Nick's ear. " _What was that all about?_ " she whispered. The fox didn't respond.

The taxi ride went by fairly slowly and quietly, with one of the three mammals coughing every once in awhile. There was an awkward tension in the air throughout their ride, but none of them decided to break the silence for quite a while. As they neared City Hall, Nick became increasingly more slouched. "You okay, Nick?" Judy finally spoke. He still remained silent. Her face turned serious and spoke slightly louder than before. "Seriously, Nick, is there something wrong?"

"Oh I'll tell you what's wrong, all right." Nick finally spoke, but his voice was extremely low. "That moose," he pointed to the driver at the front seat, "He had _no_ right to disrespect me, and talk to you like that." His unreadable face immediately turned into a scowl.

Judy leaned closer to him. "Nick, he was only trying to joke around-"

"He was disrespecting you. I'm not letting him, or anybody, talk to you as if you're a complete act." The fox whispered louder this time, but not loud enough for their driver to catch through the pane of glass that separated the front and back seats. Nick turned to the side and crossed his arms in anger.

Judy was completely speechless, only looking back at the fox with her eyes wide open.

Nick's eyes then widened as well, but in realization. He let out an embarrassed sigh and rubbed his fingers against the base of his snout. He looked back at the bunny seated beside him and chuckled lightly, realizing how stupid he just acted. "Look, let's just forget that this ever happened, okay?" This was very unusual behavior for the fox, and he couldn't remember the last time he had an outburst like this. Usually, he would never let anyone see that they got to him. But now, their driver's comments held significant weight, even if they were lighthearted.

Judy looked down to give herself time to let it all sink in. "Okay," she said, the original pep steadily returning to her voice.

The two didn't wait long until the car came to a halt. Nick was zoned out, causing the bunny to shake him out of his trance. The moose opened the window which separated the front seat from the back and turned to the two. "That'll be nineteen dollars." Judy was quick to pull out her cash before handing their driver the exact amount, staying true to Nick's earlier comments. Nick smiled gratefully at her gesture for a few seconds until she turned to look at him. He immediately switched his expression to one of disinterest, masking his thankfulness.

Nick was the first one to jump out the vehicle and waited for the bunny to get off after she paid.

The first thing that the fox and bunny laid their eyes on after exiting the taxi was the enormous Zootopia City Hall. It was sleek, tall, and the mirror-like windows spanned from the base to the top and sent the sun's glare to Nick's eyes. A couple flags planted down at the front of the building waved silently, even though there was barely any wind. The fox never took the time to admire the outstanding architecture; he was always too busy hustling mammals on the streets. Judy, however, briefly took notice of its beauty and walked quickly inside, eager to continue the case.

"Hurry up, Slick," she called to Nick as the large sliding doors gave way. The fox was reluctant to walk, as he was busy admiring the glorious architecture. Eventually, he took his first slow strides over to where the rabbit was standing. As if nothing happened, Nick smirked and shot her with one of his infamous and cheesy fingerguns. Judy wanted to tell him how stupid he looked, but she simply chuckled and rolled her eyes before leading him into City Hall. The two were greeted by the bright atmosphere and cool air of the lobby. The golden rays of the sun shined through the mirror-like windows, making the furniture look premium.

"Looks even better on the inside," Nick commented as he deeply breathed in the filtered air. Judy hurried to the reception desk as Nick followed slowly. The receptionist was a female lynx, who seemed to be busy with something on her work computer. She wore over ear headphones attached to a microphone that extended down one side of her face and ended next to her chin, where she would speak to callers.

Judy called to the receptionist. "Hello!" The lynx heard the voice, but didn't quite know where it was coming from. As she searched around, the voice came again. "Down here!" It was then that the receptionist peered down over the front of her desk and noticed a rabbit and fox waiting there.

"Oh. Hello there," the receptionist said unenthusiastically. The lynx noticed the bunny's badge, and sat taller to show respect. "Good morning, officer."

"Good morning! We need to see the assistant mayor of Zootopia please." Judy said with her bright smile as Nick stood behind her with his lazy gaze.

"Sure thing!" the lynx replied before eyeing them one more time. "Apologies if this sounds rude, but you _might_ want to wash yourselves up before you visit the Assistant Mayor."

Judy realized exactly what the lynx meant by her comment and took a look at Nick and herself. She was right, the two mammals looked terrible. Nick's clothing was covered in dried mud and Judy wasn't much cleaner herself. They probably smelled horrible as well. "Um…" the bunny stammered.

"Don't worry about going home. We have community showers in City Hall!"

Nick's eyes widened. He was unaware of the accommodations that were provided in the governmental areas of the city. All of his talks about the government of Zootopia in the past had always reduced it to a simple floccinaucinihilipilification. But now, he was actually quite glad that he would be able to take a calming shower in City Hall.

"Um, sure! We'll use those," Judy chirped with her big smile.

After receiving the directions to the showers, the fox and rabbit walked in diverging directions. The male predator showers were all the way across City Hall from the female prey showers, which made sense to both of them.

As Nick entered the shower room, he was pleased to discover that nobody else was currently occupying any of the showers, meaning that he had the room all to himself. Being the predator showers, they were obviously made for mammals much bigger than himself, as the general population of predators were the larger mammals. However, there was a missable section for small predators that one might not have noticed at first glance. Luckily, Nick found them and grinned to himself as he untied his necktie. This was strange for him; he had never undressed in public before, let alone _City Hall_. Nevertheless, he unbuttoned his shirt, pulled off his khakis and boxers, and stepped into the warm shower water.

The fox let the water run through his fur as he reflected on the reason that he was there in the first place. _That dumb bunny actually dragged me into this case_. It seemed completely illogical to him. This was Nick Wilde, the con-mammal, swindling others for money on the street. This was the fox that used his sly remarks to slip and slide through the trickiest of conversations. This was the fox that would do anything for a quick buck. Why was he suddenly tagging along with the rabbit? _I bet she would just give me the pen if I asked for it at this point_. Yet, for some crazy unknown reason, he didn't want to ask for the pen. He wanted closure on the case, and he wanted to get justice for the predators who had gone savage even if it would take him days, or even weeks! Clearly, he didn't want to leave Judy alone on solving this case. As a plus, he enjoyed their conversations and casual banter. He was never able to talk to Finnick or any of his previous acquaintances like that. _Acquaintances? That doesn't sound right_. Nick thought rhetorically for a moment. _Fine. The rabbit's my friend_. He smiled at the thought. A friend.

Judy opened the door, instantly greeted by the humid air of steamy shower vapor and the sound of absolute silence. She walked down the room, looking left and right just to make sure she was alone. The bunny let out a relieved sigh knowing that she had the entire room to herself. She walked to one of the smaller sized showers, choosing the cleanest one. Before undressing, she did one full turn, just to make sure that she was actually alone. Similar to Nick, she'd never undressed in public, even though she was the only one inside the showers at that time. Hesitantly, she unclasped her vest and belt, then pulled off her tight top and pants. Judy quickly hopped inside the shower right after she took everything off.

The bunny stood there, letting the water soak her fur. As much as she needed to find the otter, she wanted to take some time gathering some thoughts. This case is what's going to determine her potential as a real cop. She only had a few hours left, and if she failed, her life was pretty much ruined. All those years of dreaming, learning, and training would be completely worthless. Being the determined bunny she was, Judy was definitely _not_ going to let that happen. _Okay. After this, we'll go straight back to City Hall, get Assistant Mayor Bellwether to help us, follow the car who took Manchas and possibly Otterton, find them, and save my job._ The bunny lifted her head up and took a deep breath before closing her eyes. She already almost lost her job just earlier, only to have it saved by her current companion, the fox. _Nick_. Judy easily could've just given him the pen after getting the plate number, but she didn't, and as strange as it seems, she was actually happy that she managed to make him stick around with her for longer. The sly fox that she blackmailed was now someone that she trusted. There was so much more about the fox that she just didn't know when the two first met. Judy smiled as she thought back at the little conversations they had, and the few laughs they shared. There was something about that fox that made her happy, even if he didn't display the same emotions.

The rabbit finished her shower, promptly got dressed, and strolled out of the shower room just as an antelope walked in. Judy felt cleaner than ever, and was extremely relieved that she had taken the time to get clean, even if she had to slightly delay meeting with the assistant mayor. She wondered if Nick felt better as well as she cheerily and energetically walked over to the area where he should be finishing up. However, when she got there, the fox was nowhere to be found. She sat down on a bench outside of the shower area and browsed the internet on her phone. Her eyes widened when she read the recent headlines about the missing mammals. She had to solve this case, and fast.

Ten minutes passed and the bunny became impatient. Nick was taking _forever_ in there. The water had stopped a few minutes ago, so it couldn't be that long before he-

"Hey, Carrots!" the rejuvenated fox called rather quietly as he sauntered casually through the door of the shower room. He was still wearing that green hawaiian button-up shirt and purple necktie, along with his khakis. Not like he had a change of clothes lying around anyway.

"About time, _Flash_ ," she snickered, practically jumping off of the bench.

Nick chuckled uneasily. "What? I was enjoying myself," he stated bluntly and pointed at his very clean and vibrant fur.

Judy sighed. "Whatever, we need to get going," she explained cheerily.

As they walked back to the receptionist's desk, Nick continued to justify his long shower by saying things like "Foxes have more fur than rabbits."

At the desk, the lynx told them the directions to where the assistant mayor was currently residing within the building. Nick and Judy then took an escalator upstairs, where they would receive vital information about the case. This missing mammals case wasn't only important to Judy anymore, it was important to her fox friend as well. _Are we really friends?_ she pondered as the duo rose to the second floor. _He's only here because I have evidence of his tax evasion_ , Judy had to remind herself.

Nick had a strange urge to open his mouth and began panting to cool himself down,but he resisted. He was about to meet with one of the heads of the government of Zootopia. Nick always wanted to avoid the law enforcement, but this was the next level.

However, upon reaching their destination, they noticed that the small assistant mayor, a sheep, was fumbling her way through the upper floor, following her superior, Mayor Leodore Lionheart. She held a stack of papers in her hooves and wobbled under their weight. The mayor yelled at his assistant and stormed into his office before slamming the door. The sheep was subjected to the doors' swing, as they hit her square in the face and she fell to the floor, papers flying in all directions.

Nick started to laugh quietly. His laugh became louder, and he tried to cover his muzzle with his paws before he buckled over in laughter. Judy elbowed him to get him to stop. As they neared the mayor, they could hear the sheep spout, "Oh, mutton chops," in defeat. Nick was about to laugh again.

Judy leaned down to help Bellwether pick up some of her papers before confronting her. "Assistant Mayor Bellwether, we need your help," she declared with determination. Nick hid his laughter with his normal lazy gaze.

Bellwether turned and looked up at the pair of mammals standing before her. _Perfect_.


End file.
